Petur Weihe Dalsgaard

Simultaneous screening and quantification of 52 common pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse in hair using UPLC–TOF-MS

An UPLC-TOF-MS method for simultaneous screening and quantification of 52 drugs in hair was developed and validated. The selected drugs represent the most common classes of pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse such as amphetamines, analgesics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, cocaine, ketamine and opioids. Hair samples were extracted with methanol:acetonitrile:ammonium formate (2 mM, 8% acetonitrile, pH 5.3) overnight at 37 degrees C. The target drugs were separated and quantified using a Waters ACQUITY UPLC coupled to a Waters Micromass LCT Premier XE Time-of-Flight mass spectrometer. Total chromatographic run time was 17min. The data were treated with the MassLynx software ChromaLynx XS and QuanLynx for automated identification and quantification, respectively. The limits of detection ranged from 0.01 to 0.10 ng/mg using a 10-mg hair sample and the limit of quantification was 0.05 ng/mg for 87% of the analytes. A good linear behaviour was achieved for most of the analytes in the range from LOQ to 10 or 25 ng/mg except for the amphetamines. The method showed an acceptable precision and trueness, since the obtained CV and BIAS values were <or=25% for 81% of the analytes. The extraction recoveries for 92% of the analytes ranged between 84 and 106% and the extraction recoveries for all analytes were better than 60%. The method was applied to 15 autopsy hair samples from forensic investigations showing a wide abuse pattern of many pharmaceuticals and drugs of abuse within a period of less than three months. The present study demonstrated that the combination of accurate mass and retention time can provide good selectivity, which demonstrates that the TOF instrument is adequate for both screening and quantification purposes. Furthermore, it was shown that screening with the ChromaLynx XS software is less sensitive and selective for some analytes than the QuanLynx software, especially in low concentrations.

Screening for illicit and medicinal drugs in whole blood using fully automated SPE and ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography with TOF‐MS with data‐independent acquisition

A broad forensic screening method for 256 analytes in whole blood based on a fully automated SPE robotic extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) with TOF-MS with data-independent acquisition has been developed. The limit of identification was evaluated for all 256 compounds and 95 of these compounds were validated with regard to matrix effects, extraction recovery, and process efficiency. The limit of identification ranged from 0.001 to 0.1 mg/kg, and the process efficiency exceeded 50% for 73 of the 95 analytes. As an example of application, 1335 forensic traffic cases were analyzed with the presented screening method. Of these, 992 cases (74%) were positive for one or more traffic-relevant drugs above the Danish legal limits. Commonly abused drugs such as amphetamine, cocaine, and frequent types of benzodiazepines were the major findings. Nineteen less frequently encountered drugs were detected e.g. buprenorphine, butylone, cathine, fentanyl, lysergic acid diethylamide, m-chlorophenylpiperazine, 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone, mephedrone, 4-methylamphetamine, p-fluoroamphetamine, and p-methoxy-N-methylamphetamine. In conclusion, using UHPLC-TOF-MS screening with data-independent acquisition resulted in the detection of common drugs of abuse as well as new designer drugs and more rarely occurring drugs. Thus, TOF-MS screening of blood samples constitutes a practical way for screening traffic cases, with the exception of δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which should be handled in a separate method.

Toxicological screening of basic drugs in whole blood using UPLC-TOF-MS

Ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) was established for toxicological screening of basic drugs in whole blood and tested on authentic samples. Whole blood samples (0.2 ml) were extracted using a Gilson apparatus equipped with Bond Elut Certify columns. Screening was performed for 175 compounds (psychotropic, cardiovascular, designer, and abused drugs). The drugs were separated in 15 min using a UPLC system (Waters ACQUITY BEH C18, 1.7 µm, 2.1 mm × 100 mm column) coupled to an LCT Premier XE (Waters) instrument. Data were processed by ChromaLynx XS using identification criteria of ± 0.2 min retention time, and ± 5 mDa mass tolerance. Whole blood was spiked with the 175 compounds in concentrations from 5-100 µg/kg to assess approximately the lowest concentrations that could be identified. This method was further applied to 119 samples from forensic investigations, leading to 302 hits, of which 291 (96%) were subsequently verified, in concentrations exceeding the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), by a liquid chromatography (LC)-MS/MS confirmation method. In conclusion, this UPLC-TOF-MS method is a useful and effective screening method for basic drugs in whole blood.

Identification of ten new designer drugs by GC‐MS, UPLC‐QTOF‐MS, and NMR as part of a police investigation of a Danish Internet company

The ability of forensic laboratories to detect and identify unknown compounds is highly important since new, non-controlled designer drugs are appearing on the market with increasing frequency. In this study, the combined use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) was used for screening of new unknowns. In one large seizure from a Danish Internet company, ten different drugs were identified. Several of the compounds were seized for the first time in Denmark. The GC-MS and UPLC-QTOF-MS analyses were supplemented by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra for the structural elucidation of p-fluoroamphetamine, mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone), flephedrone (4-fluoromethcathinone), PPP (α-pyrrolidinopropiophenone), MDPV (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone), Bk-MBDB (2-methylamino-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)butan-1-one), pFBT (3-(pfluorobenzoyl)-tropane), and JWH-073 (1-butyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indol), whereas methylone (3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone) and N-ethylcathinone matched electron impact-mass spectrometry (EI-MS) library spectra and therefore the screenings were considered sufficient. EI-MS spectra and the proposed main fragmentation patterns are presented as well as QTOF-MS exact masses and fragments and NMR chemical shifts. For the β-ketophenylethylamines (mephedrone, flephedrone, PPP, MDPV, Bk-MBDB, methylone, and N-ethylcathinone) some general fragmentation patterns observed in the EI-MS and QTOF-MS spectra are further discussed and compared to other β-ketophenylethylamines.

Bioactive Cyclic Peptides from the Psychrotolerant Fungus Penicillium algidum

A new cyclic nitropeptide, psychrophilin D (1), together with two known cyclic peptides, cycloaspeptide A (2) and cycloaspeptide D (3), were isolated from the psychrotolerant fungus Penicillium algidum using C18 flash chromatography, LH-20 Sephadex and preparative HPLC. The structure of psychrophilin D (1) was derived from mass spectrometric information, 1D and 2D NMR spectra and Marfeys method.The compounds were tested in antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer and antiplasmodial assays. Psychrophilin D (1) exhibited a moderate activity (ID50 10.1 µg/ml) in the P388 murine leukaemia cell assay. Cycloaspeptide A (2) and D (3) exhibited moderate activity (IC50 3.5 and 4.7 µg/ml, respectively) against Plasmodium falciparum.

Targeted and non-targeted drug screening in whole blood by UHPLC-TOF-MS with data-independent acquisition.

High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is widely used for the drug screening of biological samples in clinical and forensic laboratories. With the continuous addition of new psychoactive substances (NPS), keeping such methods updated is challenging. HRMS allows for combined targeted and non-targeted screening. First, peaks are identified by software algorithms, and identifications are based on reference standard data. Attempts are made to identify the remaining unknown peaks with in silico and literature data. However, several thousand peaks remain where most are unidentifiable or uninteresting in drug screening. The aims of the study were to apply a combined targeted and non-targeted screening approach to authentic driving-under-the-influence-of-drugs (DUID) samples (n = 44) and further validate the approach using whole-blood samples spiked with 11 low-dose synthetic benzodiazepine analogues (SBAs). Analytical data were acquired using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UHPLC-TOF-MS) with data-independent acquisition (DIA). We present a combined targeted and non-targeted screening, where peak deconvolution and filtering reduced the number of peaks to inspect by three orders of magnitude, down to four peaks per DUID sample. The screening allowed for tentative identification of metabolites and drugs not included in the initial screening; 3 drugs and 14 metabolites were tentatively identified in the authentic DUID samples. Running targeted-screening true-positive identifications through the filters retained 73% of identifications. In the non-targeted screening, nine of the spiked SBAs were identified in the concentration range of 0.005-0.1 mg/kg, of which three were tentatively identified at concentrations below those reported in the literature. Copyright

Andrastin A and barceloneic acid metabolites, protein farnesyl transferase inhibitors from Penicillium albocoremium : chemotaxonomic significance and pathological implications

A survey of Penicillium albocoremium was undertaken to identify potential taxonomic metabolite markers. One major and four minor metabolites were consistently produced by the 19 strains surveyed on three different media. Following purification and spectral studies, the metabolites were identified as the known protein farnesyl transferase inhibitors andrastin A (1) and barceloneic acid A (2) along with barceloneic acid B (3), barceloneic lactone (4), and methyl barceloneate (5). These compounds are significant taxonomic markers for P. albocoremium; moreover this is the first report of a methyl ester of a barceloneic acid being produced as a secondary metabolite. Tissue extracts created following pathogenicity trials involving P. albocoremium and Allium cepa confirmed the production of these five metabolites in planta. Barceloneic acid B was found to be biologically active against a P388 murine leukemia cell line.

Identification of Peptide and Protein Doping Related Drug Compounds Confiscated in Denmark between 2007-2013

Abstract We present an overview of protein and peptide compounds confiscated in Denmark from late 2007 till late 2013 together with a description of a newly developed HRAM-LC-MS method used for identification. As examples of identification, we present data for the peptides AOD-9604, [D-Ala2, Gln8, Ala15, Leu27]sermorelin and the protein follistatin. It was found that a method with minimum sample preparation could be implemented for all of the confiscated peptides and the protein somatropin. However, for the protein follistatin it was necessary to include trypsin digestion in the sample preparation, which considerably increases the overall analysis time.

Quantitative Analysis of 30 Drugs in Whole Blood by SPE and UHPLC-TOF- MS

An Ultra-High Pressure Liquid Chromatography Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-TOF-MS) method for quantitative analysis of 30 drugs in whole blood was developed and validated. The method was used for screening and quantification of common drugs and drugs of abuse in whole blood received from autopsy cases and living persons. The compounds included: alprazolam, amphetamine, benzoylecgonine, bromazepam, cathine, cathinone, chlordiazepoxide, cocaine, codeine, clonazepam, 7-aminoclonazepam, diazepam, nordiazepam, flunitrazepam, 7-aminoflunitrazepam, ketamine, ketobemidone, 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methamphetamine, methadone, morphine, 6-monoacetylmorphine, nitrazepam, 7-aminonitrazepam, oxazepam, temazepam, tramadol, O-desmethyltramadol, and zolpidem. Blood samples (200 μL) were subjected to Solid Phase Extraction (SPE). Target drugs were quantified using a Waters ACQUITY UPLC system coupled to a Waters SYNAPT G2 TOF-MS apparatus. Extraction recoveries ranged from 41% (7-aminoclonazepam) to 111% (ketamine) and matrix effects ranged from -13% (temazepam) to 50% (7-aminonitrazepam). For all compounds, a quadratic polynomial was applied for fitting the calibration curves. Lower Limits of Quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.005 to 0.05 mg/kg. Satisfactory precisions below 15% and accuracies within 85-115% were obtained for all compounds at concentrations exceeding the LOQ. In conclusion, we present a validated UHPLC-TOF-MS method for simultaneous quantification of 30 drugs in whole blood with a run time of 15 min using 200 μL of whole blood.

Screening of Danish traffic cases for synthetic cannabinoids in whole blood by LC-MS/MS

ABSTRACT A target screening method for the detection of 13 synthetic cannabinoids in whole blood was developed and validated. Samples underwent automated solid-phase extraction, and sample extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography-positive electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry using two transitions in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The limit of detection was between 0.1-2.5 ng/mL for the compounds except HU-210, and extraction recovery ranged from 59 to 78%. The method was used to screen 393 Danish traffic cases from 2012, where the driver was suspected of driving under the influence of drugs. No synthetic cannabinoids were identified in these samples. Additionally, the method was applied to a clinical intoxication case, and the synthetic cannabinoid AM- 2201 was identified in serum. We conclude that the prevalence of driving under the influence of synthetic cannabinoids in Denmark is likely to be low, and that synthetic cannabinoids are most likely to be encountered in the clinical setting.